The present invention generally relates to a holder for flexible lines, such as flexible tubing, electrical wires, computer cables and the like.
In a hospital/healthcare environment, particularly in critical care or intensive care units, flexible tubing is used to convey fluids into and from a patient. For example, medications may be supplied to the patient via tubes and body fluids may be withdrawn from the patient. In addition, electronic equipment is sometimes used to monitor a patient""s condition so that not only are flexible tubes found in a patient""s room, but also one or more types of electrical or electronic cables or wires.
Occasionally, such flexible tubing is either tied with cords or taped to the patient""s bed or other fixtures or hardware found in the room. However, in such situations, moving the patient to whom the tubing is attached requires untying the cords or removal of the tape before the patient can be moved. Unfastening the tubing from the bed or other fixture also consumes time which might be critical to the patient""s wellbeing.
Apart from the hospital setting, many different types of electrical and electronic devices are used in modern households and offices. Some of these electrical or electronic devices are used for work or entertainment purposes while others are used to minimize routine household chores such as cooking and cleaning. Many households today have the latest equipment in home entertainment including computers with associated peripheral equipment and xe2x80x9csurround soundxe2x80x9d stereo equipment for television, broadcast radio and recorded music. By way of example, a home entertainment system might include a television, an am/fm radio, an amplifier, a video cassette recorder (VCR) and a digital video disk (DVD) player. To achieve high-fidelity xe2x80x9csurround sound,xe2x80x9d these devices typically generate sound through at least four (4) audio speakers. All of these components are connected together by various types of electrical wires such as coaxial cable and insulated twisted copper wire. In most modem office environments as in many home environments, computers are typically connected to a power source and a number of peripheral devices, such as printers, scanners, keyboards, monitors and the like by a number of electrical cords, wires and cables. Usually, the cords, wires and cables in both the office and home environments are concentrated in a small location and, as a result, are easily entangled with one another.
It would, therefore, be highly advantageous to organize the tubing and/or wires in the hospital healthcare environment so that a healthcare professional can easily ascertain one tube or wire from another based upon their organization. Similarly, organization of cords, wires and cables in both the home and office environments is very desirable.
It would also be advantageous to provide a line holder apparatus capable of holding one or more lines at a designated location. It would be advantageous if the line holder apparatus can hold individual ones of multiple lines in an organized manner. It would also be advantageous if the line holder apparatus could simply and easily release any selected line being held thereby.
The term xe2x80x9clinexe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9clinesxe2x80x9d as used in the context of the invention disclosed herein is intended to include any tube, tubing, band, rope, cord, cable, wire or other elongated element, flexible or otherwise, that can be advantageously held in the line holder apparatus described herein.
It is an object of the invention to provide a line holder apparatus for holding one or more lines at a designated location.
Another object of the invention is to provide a line holder apparatus that is capable of holding a single line or individual ones of multiple lines in an organized fashion.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a line holder apparatus that can simply and easily release any selected line being held.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a line holder apparatus that is simple in construction and inexpensively manufactured.
Accordingly, a line holder apparatus of the invention is hereinafter described. One embodiment of the line holder apparatus of the invention includes a base panel member, a first finger and a second finger. The base panel member is a planar element that extends along and laterally from a longitudinal axis to define a plane and has at least one opening extending therethrough. The first finger is connected to the base panel member and extends in a first direction parallel to the longitudinal axis. The second finger is connected to the base panel member and extends in a second direction opposite the first direction. The first and second fingers are operative to move to and between a stowed state and an extended state. In the stowed state, the first and second fingers are disposed in the opening and are generally juxtaposed adjacent one another within the plane of the base panel member. In the extended state, each one of the first and second fingers projects outwardly from the opening at an acute angle relative to the plane of the base panel member.
Another embodiment of the line holder apparatus of the invention includes the base panel member, a pair of first fingers and one second finger. The pair of first fingers are connected to the base panel member, extend in the first direction and are disposed laterally apart from one with a space therebetween. The second finger is sized to fit in the space between the first fingers. The pair of first fingers and the second finger are operative to move to and between the stowed state and the extended state. In the stowed state, the pair of first fingers and the second finger are disposed in the opening and generally juxtaposed to one another in coplanar relation with the base panel member. In the extended state, each one of the pair of first fingers and the second finger project outwardly from the opening at an acute angle relative to the plane of the base panel member.
Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description of the exemplary embodiments taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.